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Catherine M. McFadden
cmcfadden@momjiananderer.com
267.546.3716
Ms. McFadden is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, and is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale Hubbel. She has nearly 40 years of experience in family law, including divorce, equitable distribution of marital property, alimony, child support, and child custody.
Ms. McFadden began her family law career in 1982, when she was appointed as the solicitor for the Bucks County Domestic Relations Section. In 1984 she joined the Bucks County Family Court Hearing Office, which heard equitable distribution cases. Ms. McFadden ultimately became director of the Hearing Office and oversaw expansion of the office’s duties to include child custody, alimony modification, and fault-divorce cases as well as court administrative work. The Bucks County Family Hearing Office was established in the early 1980s, shortly after enactment of the then-new Divorce Code, which allowed equitable distribution of marital property for the first time in the history of Pennsylvania. During Ms. McFadden’s tenure, the Hearing published and regularly updated guidelines about how issues in equitable distribution and alimony would be addressed, with a goal of providing predictability and uniformity of outcome.
Ms. McFadden joined the Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP Family Law Department, then-chaired by Albert Momjian in August 1999, and ultimately became Chair of the department herself. In 2013, she joined Momjian Anderer LLC.
Ms. McFadden has written about a variety of divorce-related financial and legal topics. Her articles have appeared in the Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, the Pennsylvania Family Lawyer, the Legal Intelligencer, and other publications.
Education
Temple University Beasley School of Law, cum laude, 1981
Pennsylvania State University, cum laude, 1974
Professional Affiliations
Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and former chair of Amicus Committee
Member, American Bar Association, Family Law Section
Member, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Family Law Section and former member of the PBA’s Council
Member, Joint State Government Commission, Domestic Relations Advisory Committee and the Uniform Parentage Act Subcommittee and the Divorce Subcomittee
Awards & Distinctions
Best Lawyers in America, Pennsylvania, Family Law
Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, Pennsylvania Family Law
Recognized by Philadelphia Magazine as among the Top Attorneys in Pennsylvania
Martindale-Hubbel, Rated AV-Preeminent, Peer-Rated for Highest Level of Professinal Excellence
Selected by ALM (formerly American Lawyer Media) as one of 2015’s Women Leaders in the Law
Designated a Top Rated Lawyer in Family Law by The Legal Intelligencer and Martindale-Hubbell
Recent Publications and Presentations
Author, “Alimony in Pennsylvania: The Constancy of Change,” Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, April 2021
Author, “Avoid Disaster for Dependent Spouses in Pension Cases, Pennsylvania Family Lawyer, Winter 2020
Co-presenter, “Accounting IV Lawyers,” plenary session of Pennsylvania Bar Association, Family Law Section Winter Meeting, January 2021
Author, “Domicile Not Required in Divisible Divorce Cases,” Pennsylvania Family Lawyer, Fall 2020
Co-author, “The 40th Anniversary of the Pennsylvania Divorce Code of 1980,” Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, July 2020
“When You’re Right…,” an article about defined benefit pension plans, Pennsylvania Family Lawyer, Summer 2020.
Post-Trial Practice Chapter in “Custody Law & Practice in Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Third Edition, 2017
Bar Admissions